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Amazon asked FCC to reject Starlink plan because it can’t compete, SpaceX says

arstechnica.com

191–200 of 275 posts

Re: Amazon asked FCC to reject Starlink plan because it can’t compete, SpaceX says

#191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll take the eccentric billionaire actually tackling real issues and making actual headway. People here are too narrow minded and have quarter to quarter short term memory disorder, seeming to forget that Musk and Tesla are the sole reason we have had the progress and momentum towards actually greener technologies, not simply greenwashed corporate nonsense that was churned out year after year without any was actual…

Bezos making the world greener? His big trucks deliver a few packages daily to one, or two, households. Those electric fleet commercials seem like PR BS. If I ever do see an electric truck barreling up my street; I bet they will be heavily subsidized by our tax money in the form of credit. What is he doing that's green? That cowboy hat was pure ego, and vanity. Two bald men on a carnival ride might not be good for hi…

If you take into account the total fuel spent, per item, Amazon delivery would have less.

Fuel spent per item is more or less the same upto the nearest warehouse, whether that is Amazons or walmart.

Fuel spent per item from walmart to home is more because you have one car going to amazon for the item and a bunch of others. However, with Amazon, it is one truck delivering hundreds to a neighbourhood.

Ao, in almost all cases, delivery by Amazon is better for the environment, or at worst, same as that of alternatives.

Re: Amazon asked FCC to reject Starlink plan because it can’t compete, SpaceX says

#193
post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's clear to everyone and their mothers that Amazon is abusing the process. Not to me. SpaceX certainly claims so, but they are hardly impartial and I'm not familiar enough with FCC regs to make that judgement myself.

I think the OP may have be referring to the fact that Amazon also recently both filed lawsuit against the DOD for awarding the JEDI project to Microsoft[1] and Blue Origin filed a protest against the G.A.O. for awarding the lunar landing contract to SpaceX[2]. I think when take all 3 of these in the aggregate, it starts to look a bit like bad faith on the part of Bezos and Amazon. [1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/joe…

Don't forget BO sued NASA after losing the GAO decision, so four recent incidents

Re: Amazon asked FCC to reject Starlink plan because it can’t compete, SpaceX says

#194
post #7

Even with his billions, Jeff Bezos is such a sore loser. This is just like him whining and moaning about losing JEDI to Microsoft. A contract literally written for Amazon to win . Elon Musk is trying to push the boundaries of what humans do, yet he's got this remarkable jealous space cowboy as a thorn in his side. A hundred problems and now this. I can't imagine the weight on his shoulders. What a sick joke. Amazon h…

That is way too generous to Elon, whos more of a celebrity for nerds than a real boundary pusher. Nothing hes done has truly moved the needle on our capabilities. I respect that he had the vision + charisma to actually make electric vehicles popular but nothing he's created comes to the all conquering giant that Amazon is. Amazon has also changed the lives of basically everyone in the developed world, which definitely cannot be said of Tesla or any other Musk company. I don't really have any love for Bezos, but he definitely deserves more respect for his achievments than Elon

Re: Amazon asked FCC to reject Starlink plan because it can’t compete, SpaceX says

#195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"forget that Musk and Tesla are the sole reason we have had the progress and momentum towards actually greener technologies" There are many things, that come to my mind with this statement, but I will just say, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Because yes, he did gave momentum to the conservative car makers to get them to move their asses. But cars are only responsible for a tiny fraction of CO2 -…

> But cars are only responsible for a tiny fraction of CO2 Road vehicles account for 5% of global CO2 emissions. That's not a tiny fraction IMO. It's not huge, but road transportation alone (not counting shipping) account for 5X as much CO2 aviation. https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-transport

Considering teslas are only sold in a few countries, and by far mostly in the USA, that number is likely more like 0.1%

Re: Amazon asked FCC to reject Starlink plan because it can’t compete, SpaceX says

#196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Space is, but low earth orbit isn't. At least not when you want to fill it with millions of circles (not points!) that must keep certain distances from another.

> fill it with millions of circles (not points!) that must keep certain distances from another. This is, at best, misleading. The objects that have to keep clear of each other are (effectively) points, and they can share orbits with different phasing. The most obvious real-world example of multiple objects sharing an orbit is geostationary orbit.

According to Wikipedia [1], LEO is up to 2000km, though e.g. the ISS is at about 400km; geostationary orbit is 35,768 km. Minimum difference in orbital length is 2 pi times 33,768km.

So the obvious case for geostationary orbits is significantly better than for LEO.

Nevertheless, LEO isn't bad. A height of 400 km translates into a circle of about 42,655 km (orbital length of ISS according to NASA). That is enough to park several satellites in without them being parked bumper to bumper.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_orbits

Re: Amazon asked FCC to reject Starlink plan because it can’t compete, SpaceX says

#197
post #157
post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here is the actual ex parte filing: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Amazo... It is quite short and basically alleges SpaceX failed to fulfill various requirements when filing its amendment. Mainly, it alleges SpaceX submitted two different configuration options and the Commission's rules require them to settle on a single configuration option to submit. Are those legitimate allegations? I have…

Why does Amazon feel it’s their job to check compliance to the FCCs rules?

Because they share the same spectrum, orbital slots, sky, etc.

Re: Amazon asked FCC to reject Starlink plan because it can’t compete, SpaceX says

#198
post #73
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You fail to make a distinction between following a process and abusing a process. Amazon is clearly abusing the process. It's clear to everyone and their mothers that Amazon is abusing the process. Find me one comment that says "yeah, Amazon is totally right about that and SpaceX should not get the permits they are asking for". Abusing a process warrants a bit different response than "oh well, the rules can be abused…

Yeah, seeking the limits of the law. When a human does it, we typically call them an asshole. However, when a company does it, it's totally fine.

> Yeah, seeking the limits of the law. When a human does it, we typically call them an asshole. However, when a company does it, it's totally fine.

The ideological campaign to turn pure greed into a moral virtue has been far more successful for businesses than for individuals. Probably because the millenniums of moral thought that condemn individual greed is a tough thing to displace, and human moral intuitions are less intuitive to apply to a composite entity like a business.

Re: Amazon asked FCC to reject Starlink plan because it can’t compete, SpaceX says

#199
post #73
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You fail to make a distinction between following a process and abusing a process. Amazon is clearly abusing the process. It's clear to everyone and their mothers that Amazon is abusing the process. Find me one comment that says "yeah, Amazon is totally right about that and SpaceX should not get the permits they are asking for". Abusing a process warrants a bit different response than "oh well, the rules can be abused…

Yeah, seeking the limits of the law. When a human does it, we typically call them an asshole. However, when a company does it, it's totally fine.

Another term that could be applied is 'bad faith'.

We're much better at calling individuals out on bad faith behavior than we are at companies.

Re: Amazon asked FCC to reject Starlink plan because it can’t compete, SpaceX says

#200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Amazon is clearly abusing the process. It's not clear to me. I'm actually quite worried about SpaceX's increasing presence in space put simply because Musk has shown very little care for risk - especially if it's to someone other than him (e.g. testing "self-driving" on public roads, showing exceedingly lack of QA and attention to detail in most products, and generally bringing the "move fast and break things" mant…

They're too low for debris to stay up.

This. A thousand time. People need to understand this.
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